The two most common behaviors are hair pulling and skin picking. These behaviors are identified in the diagnostic manual. Trichotillomania is hair pulling, while excoriation disorder is skin-picking. Although trichotillomania is a mania-like condition, it does not have anything to do with bipolar disorder.
Other body-focused repetitive disorders include
Nail biting also called Onychotillomania
Lip-biting
Nose picking
Habit reversal training is a type cognitive behavior therapy. Decoupling is also a self-help method. Decoupling allows you to perform a different behaviour whenever you feel tension. This is to ensure that the other behavior you engage in decouples the emotion from the compulsion. You can control your compulsive behavior by engaging in the other behavior.
There are no medications that can be used to treat this disorder. Some evidence suggests that N-acetylcysteine and inositol have helped. These are both supplements you can buy without a prescription. Alternative therapies include yoga, acupuncture and biofeedback.
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References
Grant JE, Odlaug BL, Chamberlain SR, et al: Skin picking disorder. Am J Psychiatry 169(11): 1143-1149, 2012 PubMed ID: 23128921
Moritz S., Rufer M. Movement Decoupling: Self-help intervention to treat trichotillomania. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 2011 Mar;42(1): 74-80. doi: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2010.07.001. Epub 2010 Jul 14. PMID: 20674888.
Torales J, Barrios I, Villalba J. Alternative Treatments for Excoriation (Skin picking) Disorder: A Short Update. Adv Mind Body Medicine. 2017 Winter;31(1): 10-13. PMID: 28183072.
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